


Night Swimming

by PawPunk



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Beaches, Drowning, F/M, Insecurity, Near Death Experiences, Rescue, Swimming, hints of romance but you could read it as platonic if u wanted to, questionable fashion descisions, swimming without a lifeguard (ooh scandalous)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24908488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PawPunk/pseuds/PawPunk
Summary: False finds a way around Xisuma's unwillingness to swim.
Relationships: falsesymmetry/ Xisumavoid
Comments: 14
Kudos: 94





	Night Swimming

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings: this fic centers around people swimming in an unsafe way and almost dying. Also they change clothes outside but nobody's looking so who cares

Xisuma stands out like a wasp in a swarm of butterflies on the boardwalk. Even the scorching sun can’t coax him out of his leather jacket and long pants, and his yellow bandanna and sunglasses don’t look very summery. They cover everything except his forehead. False doesn’t think it can possibly be comfortable, but the whole point of being a hermit is that they’re weird. This is just Xisuma’s way. 

“Sashwammy, look!” False can feel Xisuma’s panic. There’s only one kind of thing that gets Keralis that excited, and sure enough when they turn around he’s pointing at what must be the worst swimsuit in the world. It’s described on the storefront as a “mankini”, and it’s positively covered in gold sequins. “I’m gonna buy it,” Keralis announces gleefully.

“… Are you sure?” Xisuma says, eyeing the questionable garment.

“Uh-huh,” Keralis grins. Before Xisuma can protest more, he disappears inside the store.

“You know he’s actually gonna wear it,” False points out. 

“Oh dear,” Xisuma sighs. “We need to talk him out of it.” 

The swimsuit store smells like sunscreen, and an AC unit pumps in freezing air. False rubs her bare arms. Maybe this is why Xisuma never wears short sleeves. Keralis is frantically explaining his need (not want, NEED) for that atrocious swimsuit to a very confused saleswoman.

“Falsie! Sashwammy!” he called as they walked over. “This lady says she doesn’t have the shiny swimsuit anymore!”

“Oh no,” False said emotionlessly. Keralis glared at her.

“Look, it’s probably a blessing in disguise,” Xisuma said. “While we’re here, you could look for a different swimsuit.”

“Yeah,” Keralis said glumly. He wandered off between the shelves aimlessly.

“Hey, you said you forgot to bring a swimsuit, right?” False said. “You should get one here!”

“What? No, I brought one,” Xisuma said, way too quickly. 

“I distinctly remember you saying you didn’t bring one,” False said. “That was why you couldn’t come to the beach, right?”

“I mean, um,” Xisuma said. “I just… don’t want a swimsuit. I don’t want people to see me.”

“Oh.” False shuffled her feet, trying to dispel the awkward feeling that pervaded the air. Keralis was almost finished shopping, thankfully having found a less objectionable swimsuit.

“Hey, what if nobody saw you?” False asked.

“What?”

“Do you not want to swim because people would see you in… less clothes, or because of some other reason?” 

“I’m not letting anyone see me out of my suit,” Xisuma said sternly. 

“Right,” False said. “I get that.” The cashier rung up Keralis’s purchase, and the three left the shop. 

“Hey guys! Over here!” False’s head whipped around, and she caught sight of Grian, waving from one of the wooden ramps down to the beach. “We’re having a sandcastle building contest, think you have a chance?”

“You’re going down!” False called. She started jogging after him, but turned to look back at Xisuma. “You sure you’re okay just being on your own, then?”

“I’m fine,” Xisuma waved off her concerns. “I gotta go. There’s important ice cream to be bought.” False chucked, and continued on to the shore. Halfway down the faded wood path, she looked back. Xisuma was still standing there.

Nobody won the sandcastle contest. Thepoint was never to win; it was always their aim to make the weirdest things possible before high tide inevitably brought their kingdoms down. Still, False was glowing with pride as the group made their way back to the rental house. She showered off the sand and caked on sunscreen, then dragged a bag of chips into her room for dinner. So maybe it wasn’t healthy, sue her. She was too tired for to eat a regular meal. Too tired to even put the empty bag in the trash before falling asleep. 

She woke up before light. “Cleo? Stress?” she mumbled, lifting her head. The room was still dark, but she could see Cleo sprawled across her bed, and Stress looking like she was about to suffocate in her down comforter. “Wha?”

“Shh!” False sat up, coming face to face with Xisuma.

“‘Suma?” she said drowsily. “What are you doing in my room?”

“Shh!” he said again. He gestured for her to get out of bed, and she followed him out into the hall. He closed the door and flipped the lights on. Even at whatever unholy hour of the morning it was, he was still wearing his sunglasses, and he was fully dressed in his typical leather jacket and long pants. “I’m sorry to wake you,” he said softly, looking down, “But I didn’t know who else to ask.”

“What?” False blinked, her eyes widening. “Are you alright? What happened?”

“Remember how you asked if I’d go swimming if nobody could see me?” he said quickly. “I would. I want to. But I need someone to help me break into the beach.”

“Break- break in?” False half- laughed. “I wouldn’t have suspected that from you, but I’ll help. Let me get some things.” Suddenly awake, False cracked the door, crept past her sleeping roommates, and grabbed a worn out beach towel. She stuffed it into a duffel bag, along with a raincoat and flashlight. On a whim, she threw in her swimsuit as well. “Do you have a change of clothes?” she asked Xisuma, sidling out of the room and shutting the door again.

“Yeah.” He held up a bundle of clothes that admittedly looked exactly what he was currently wearing, and False held open the duffel bag so he could put them in. In silence, they walked down the stairs, through the moonlit kitchen, and out of the house.

The summer air had cooled off to a chill. False grabbed her coat and shrugged it around her shoulders. Beside her, Xisuma switched on his flashlight. “So, where are we heading?” she asked.

“Probably to the edge of the beach,” Xisuma muttered. “Less chance of people walking by and seeing us.”

“Good call.” They headed off along the boardwalk. Without the bustle of tourists, the little seaside town was oddly calm. The light of the crescent moon above them concealed their appearances but left enough light to see by, when one factored in the weak beam of Xisuma’s flashlight. Soon, they came across a stretch of beach concealed by pointed rock spires and a thick crop of trees and bushes.

“I bet we could sneak in here,” False whispered. Xisuma nodded, and False pulled out the beach towel. It had had many uses blocking barbed wire, and now it guarded her hands from thorns as she pushed past bushes and into the secluded cove. Xisuma followed after, wincing at the sharp rustling sound. He glanced around, but after nobody showed up to arrest them he calmed down. 

“Right. Please, uh, turn around,” he said, pulling a pair of swim trunks out of the duffel bag. False swallowed hard.

“Oh, right. Of course.” She faced one of the bounders flanking the cove and listened to Xisuma change.  _ Why couldn’t he have worn his swimsuit under his clothes _ , she cursed. She didn’t know why it was bothering her this much, but before she could think of it, Xisuma turned off the flashlight. 

“Hey!” False protested, whirling around. Luckily, Xisuma had finished changing, and without the flashlight she could barely make out the details of his body. He looked a lot smaller without the bulk of his leather jacket, but False could make out the subtle curve of the muscles in his arms. As he turned to face her, she caught sight of the silhouette of his face. His nose was crooked.

“Why are you looking at me?” he asked nervously. He glanced at his body, checking for something False couldn’t see.

“Dude, it’s dark as hell out,” she said. “I can’t see anything, don’t worry. Now turn around, I still gotta change.”

“You’re swimming too?” Xisuma croaked. 

“Well, yeah,” False said. “Turn around. Or don’t. I doubt you could see anything more than I can.” Thankfully, Xisuma still chose to shuffle around, stretching as he waited for her. False dug out her one-piece swimsuit and quickly disrobed, slipping it on. “Okay, ready?” she asked.

“I hope,” Xisuma said. He walked down to the water, dipping his toes in. False followed him. The sea lapped at their ankles, icy cold. 

“Count of three?” False suggested.

“Yeah. One, two,” Xisuma started, but he stalled.

“Three!” False said, probably louder than she should have. She rushed into the freezing water, grabbing Xisuma’s arm and dragging him behind her. He yelped, collapsing into the suddenly deep water, paddling. 

“What was that for?” he whisper-shouted.

“I said on the count of three, and you agreed,” False said innocently. Even in the dark, False could see Xisuma scowling at her. There was something off about his face, but she was quickly blinded as he splashed saltwater in her face.

“Agh!” False splashed back, laughing through the sting. Xisuma started to chuckle too, paddling and sloshing water at her face.

A sudden wave slammed into them, and False fell over on the slippery rocks. She stumbled to her hands and knees, her hair falling like a wet curtain in her face. “Aw man, help me up, ‘Suma!” She called. His strong, calloused hands wrapped around her upper arms, and he dragged her to her feet.

“Don’t think this means I’ve forgiven you,” he said solemnly, even though the world seemed to have suddenly warmed up. He splashed at her halfheartedly, and False dodged, swimming out further to sea. She shut her eyes tight, diving under a wave before it crested, and bobbed up. Xisuma didn’t even try to follow her. He just treaded water, his wet hair plastered to his forehead, a crooked grin shining in the moonlight. It seemed too wide to be real, creeping up one cheek in an adorably lopsided manner. 

“Why are you looking at me?” False mimicked confidently, and Xisuma just chucked. She flipped her hair out of her face, backstroking, but suddenly a wave loomed over her and pushed her down. The weight of the water punched the air out of her lungs, and she screamed into the water. When did the sea get so deep? The water turned arctic cold, sucking the warmth from her body.

False flailed her arms, trying to right herself, but it was impossible to tell which way was up in the weightlessness of the ocean. Her lungs burned. 

False was going to  _ die _ .

Suddenly, she was pulled up by two arms wrapped painfully tight around her chest. Her face breached the surface of the water, and she coughed, spitting out saltwater and filling her raw lungs with fresh, life giving air. The arms dragged her to shore, scooping her exhausted body up in a princess carry. False unconsciously wrapped her arms around her savior’s neck.

“Are you alright?” Xisuma asked softly.

“I think so,” False rasped. She coughed a few more times, her throat smarting from the burn of the saltwater. “I guess there’s a reason people like to swim with lifeguards around, huh?”

“Yeah.” Xisuma didn’t put her down. His skin was refreshingly warm compared to the iciness of the sea. He adjusted his grip on her, moving his hand down her thigh to support her under her knee. She hadn’t realized his hand was there.

“You’re pretty strong,” she mentioned. 

“Not really,” Xisuma grunted, straining from holding her up for such a short time. “Do you think you can stand?”

“Probably.” Xisuma lowered her down. She stood, her legs still shaking, and Xisuma moved his arm around her chest to support her. From where she was pressed against his side, she could feel large patches of smooth, raised skin covering most of his left side. Scars.

“Come on, let’s go home,” Xisuma muttered. “Alright, left-“ False stepped forward, and Xisuma copied her motion. Together, they slipped past the thorn bushes and out onto the street. The sky to the East was turning violet. “Do you think you can make it home before dawn?” Xisuma asked anxiously.

“Probably.” A bit of False’s balance had returned to her, and she started walking more independently. It was still hard, though- her shoes were still in the duffel bag under Xisuma’s arm. She turned to ask him for them back, but he whipped his face away from her.

“Oh, right. Don’t look.” False turned away. 

“Thank you,” Xisuma said. There was something in his voice that False didn’t recognize.

“For what?”

“For, like, not being curious. Not looking at me,” he said.

“It’s no problem. Let’s just, uh, not tell anyone we went swimming in the middle of the night and I almost died.”

“It’s a deal.” Xisuma said, and False could hear the smile in his voice. 


End file.
